New council members will be strong advocates

New Orleans voters made their voices heard Saturday by selecting two new city council members.

In the District B runoff, LaToya Cantrell defeated Dana Kaplan. State Rep. Austin Badon faced Attorney James Gray in the District E runoff. Gray also won.

It was a sweet victory for Cantrell.

"I am focused on serving the people," Cantrell said following the win.

Political analyst Dr. Silas Lee said Cantrell represents new leadership in the city made up of grassroots leaders and community activists.

"It naturally means that she will be able to extend that level of expertise to revitalize and address critical issues in the district, infrastructure, education, housing, resources, social services and economic development," Lee said.

Kaplan got endorsements from Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other city leaders. However, Cantrell said that won't deter her from advocating for her district.

"It's about service, so I will work effectively with all of my council members and the administration," Cantrell said.

Gray has a long to-do list ahead of him. He said during his campaign that he wants to bring a hospital to New Orleans East, open a Walmart, reduce crime and increase the presence of police.

"I think there are tons of people in this district who looked at the result earlier and said we need change. We want change," Gray said.

Lee said Gray will be a strong advocate for change.

"They are both strong advocates for rebuilding their respective districts. Naturally, District E was critically hit after Hurricane Katrina (and) still rebuilding in many ways. Health care is a big issue. Services and resources for residents are big issues in District E," Lee said.

Also on the ballot Saturday was a measure to increase phone bill fees to assist the Orleans Parish Communication District. Officials said the money would have been used to fund upgrades to the 911 system and consolidate personnel who now work for several different agencies, but voters rejected the increase.

"It's one thing for the supporters of that initiative to articulate the need for something to pass," Lee said. "It's something else for voters to understand and support a revenue-generating measure, so probably a lot of voters did not understand the critical need for that to pass."

"This fee would have improved the efficiency of the 911 service for residents, but despite its failure to pass, (The New Orleans Police Department) will continue to deliver the best service it can with the resources now available," a representative for NOPD said.

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